Travel Brochure by Lisa Chanthavong

Taj Mahal,

26l1c01 — 2023-11-21 14:21:40 UTC

Im so excited to fianlly see India. Today we are visiting the Taj Mahal which means "Crownof the Palace". It was built in 1631-1653. In 1631 Shah Jahan built this beautiful ivory white marble mausoleum for his wife that died while giving birth to their 14th child. Soon to be both of their tombs. Around the building is more buildings and gardens. The architecture includes traditions of Indo-Islamic and earlier Mughal architecture. Humayun's Tomb inspired the gardens. There is Arabic writing at the tomb entrance. Also onion domes above the tombs and throughout the building. The Taj symbolises earthly life and the afterlife. The white represents the enlightenment, spirituality and faith of Mumtaz Maha. Overrall The Taj is a symbol of love. Taj Mahal is also a symbol of Shah Jahan's wealth and power. Others might say it is feminine architectural form, and is Mumtaz Mahal herself. This is one of the most prettiest places to look at.

Lingaraj Temple

26l1c01 — 2023-11-21 15:19:58 UTC

Next in India we are seeing Lingaraja Temple. This is a Hindu temple that is dedicated to Shiva, God of Destruction. It is one of the oldest temple in Bhubaneswar and is located the capital of the Indian state of Odisha, India. It was believed built by the kings from the Somavamsi dynasty. The temple is built in the Deula style that has four components namely, vimana (structure containing the sanctum), jagamohana (assembly hall), natamandira (festival hall) and bhoga-mandapa (hall of offerings), each increasing in the height to its predecessor. The temple is active in worship practises, unlike most other temples in Bhubaneswar. This is "one of the finest examples of purely Hindu temple in India", as critics would say. The temple has a vast courtyard mired with hundreds of small shrines. Many festivals happen here like Ratha-Yatra. The culture and the country itself is beyond beautiful and was worth seeing.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

26l1c01 — 2023-11-27 14:30:42 UTC

Next will we be visiting Japan. We will be seeing the head shrine of the Kami Inari. This is on a mountain surrounded by other shrines. Trails to get up the shrine takes about 2 hours to walk to. Inari was originally and remains primarily the kami of rice and agriculture, but merchants also worship Inari as the patron of business. The main shrine structure was built in 1499. The shrine draws several million worshipers over the Japanese New Year. At the bottom of the hill are the main gate ("tower gate") and the main shrine (go-honden). Behind them, in the middle of the mountain, the inner shrine (okumiya) is reachable by a path lined with thousands of torii. To the top of the mountain are tens of thousands of mounds (tsuka) for private worship. The highlight of the shrine is the rows of torii gates, known as Senbon Torii. The custom to donate a torii began spreading from the Edo period (1603–1868) to have a wish come true or in gratitude for a wish that came true, with successive gates being added up to the present day by donors out of gratitude. Along the main path there are around 800 torii gates. This was worth the wait!

Senso-ji

26l1c01 — 2023-11-27 14:42:36 UTC

Next in Japan, we will be seeing Tokyo's oldest temple. It is a Buddist temple. Senso-ji is most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually. Not only is it a temple but also there is the Asakusa Shinto shrine, as well as many shops with traditional goods in the Nakamise-dōri. The first temple was founded in 645 AD. During World War II, the temple was bombed and destroyed during the 10 March air raid on Tokyo. It was rebuilt later and is a symbol of rebirth and peace to the Japanese people. In the courtyard there is a tree that was hit by a bomb in the air raids, and it had regrown in the husk of the old tree and is a similar symbol to the temple itself. There are 4 statues surronding the temple. The statues are of the Shinto gods Fūjin and Raijin are displayed. Fūjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on the west side. Two additional statues stand on the reverse of the gate: the Buddhist god Tenryū on the east, and the goddess Kinryū on the west side. A giant red lantern (chōchin) hangs under the center of the gate.

Angkor Wat

26l1c01 — 2023-11-27 14:54:55 UTC

Our last stop, Cambodia. The Angkor Wat is considered as the largest religious structure in the world. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire by King Suryavarman II during the 12th century. It was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century; as such, it is also described as a "Hindu-Buddhist" temple. The modern name Angkor Wat, alternatively Nokor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer. Angkor Wat is a unique combination of the temple mountain (the standard design for the empire's state temples) and the later plan of concentric galleries. The Angkor Wat temple's main tower aligns with the morning sun of the spring equinox. Unlike most Khmer temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west rather than the east. Angkor Wat is the prime example of the classical style of Khmer architecture. It is built in sandstone and laterite. ts finely balanced with elements and the precise arrangement of its proportions. It is a work of power, unity, and style. Towers are shaped like lotus buds. There is a gallery wall filled with reliefs illustrating scenes from Indian literature including unicorns, griffins, winged dragons pulling chariots, as well as warriors following an elephant-mounted leader, and celestial dancing girls with elaborate hairstyles. The gallery wall alone is decorated with almost 1,000 sq ft of bas reliefs. The history behind the temple explains the uniqueness of the actual temple.

Royal Palace

26l1c01 — 2023-11-28 13:59:45 UTC

Lastly on our trip we are going to see Royal Palace of Cambodia. This is a complex of buildings which serves as the official royal residence of the King of Cambodia. The palace was constructed between 1866 and 1870. The whole complex was surrounded by a wall topped by decorative leaf shapes called seima; these same symbols are seen on the walls surrounding monasteries, and, as with monasteries, were use to symbolize that what lay within was holy. The complex is divided by walls into four main compounds. On the south side is the Silver Pagoda, to the north side is the Khemarin Palace and the central compound contains the Throne Hall and to the west is the private sector or the Inner Court. The Palace is 174,870 square meters. The Royal Palace of Cambodia is a good example of Khmer architecture featuring its layout of the defensive wall (kampeng), throne hall (preah thineang), Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Preah Keo Morakot), stupas (chedei), towering spires (prang prasat) and mural paintings. There is also gardens filled with tropical flowers and plants. By far the most interesting to look at.